Beaufort County summer reading program focuses on foundational skills at Michael C. Riley Elementary

Beaufort County School District has launched an extended-year summer reading program at elementary schools to help close learning gaps and build literacy skills, the county bulletin said. The segment highlighted Michael C. Riley Elementary School, where instructors described the program as extra instructional time that helps students strengthen foundational reading skills and prepares them for the next grade.

"Summer reading camp gives us that gift of additional time with our students so that we can build those foundational skills and help them be ready for that next grade level," a teacher at the program said. The teacher added that staff are emphasizing non-fiction text features and student projects that let children create 'creature' characters and habitats. Students also described classroom work on prefixes, suffixes and sight words; one student said, "I made a lizard with thorns, and I called it the thorny bob." The bulletin asked viewers to visit beaufortcountysc.gov/news for county press releases and encouraged families to participate in summer learning offerings.